STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter (David Jason) is a brash, loud mouthed South London 'wide-boy' who lives in Nelson Mandela House, a council flat or, as he lovingly calls it, 'a lego set built by the council', along with his grand-father and his much younger brother Rodney (Nicolas Lyndhurst) an idealistic, well-meaning young man who has sadly become rather bitter and cynical at being out of work despite having three GCEs and at the immorality and hopelessness of his older brother's frequent get rich quick ideas. Despite his cocky bravado, though, Del does seem genuinely motivated to do well in business so he can provide a better life for him and his family, always trying to stir hope up within his ranks with his frequent, but never kept, promise that 'this time next year we'll be millionaires...'
Although any night of the week I am practically guaranteed to run into an episode on UKTV Gold, having just brought series 1-7 of what is easily one of my favourite sitcoms ever in a sale for £39 (nearly a hundred quid in HMV!) has brought what made it all a success racing back to me. But then, it's a testament to how great it is that it's done so well and that, well, I can tune into an episode any night of the week.
Del is the main character here, the guy the show pretty much revolves around and it's quite clear to see why. Lyndhurst's Rodney is a vital part as Del's fall guy, and grand-dad was always a good character to have around, until Lennard Pearce's death in around 1985 had him replaced by Buster Merryfield as the livelier Uncle Albert. But Del is the guy who really keeps the boat floating, the self assured, wise cracking wide boy with his frequent catch-phrase's, including the afore-mentioned '...we'll be millionaires', as well as trying to stir up more hope by frequently using the SAS's motto 'he who dares wins' and not to mention taking his exaggerated gift of the gab a bit too far by trying to pronounce sentences in languages he doesn't know the first thing about (...'borsch sprung dung technik!!!') But he can also show his darker side with it, often trying to play on Rodney's emotions by using the memory of his dead mother to force him into helping him with his latest zany scheme, telling him 'you know what the last thing your mother said to me on her death-bed?...'
Rodney's the character it's easiest to have the most empathy with, an intelligent, conscientious young man who suffers constant embarrassment at his older brother's lack of tact and knowledge, but who somehow always finds the courage to answer him back and stand up for himself. You can sense him wasting all his passion and intelligence away due to his lack of employment history and, unfortunately, a criminal record for smoking cannabis. Both Jason and Lyndhurst sound a lot more posh and elocuted in real life, so it's harder to relate to them as true South Londoners but they play their parts so well you can put it to one side. There's a host of lively supporting character's to choose from too, including Boycie (John Challis), the second hand car salesman, constantly sneering down at what he sees as the inferior Trotters and who Del secretly probably wishes he was like, and Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack) the blank faced (and blank minded) road sweeper who can't seem to get over the fact that Rodney's name is Rodney and not Dave. He lives in a world of his own but seems to have his own weird logic to things that gets him by in life.
A product of Thatcher-esquire Britain, a time when everyone no doubt needed a good laugh and which John Sullivan delivered perfectly. It probably went on a little too long, and the cracks were definitely showing by the last episode, but the timeless overall result leaves it a classic still. *****
Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter (David Jason) is a brash, loud mouthed South London 'wide-boy' who lives in Nelson Mandela House, a council flat or, as he lovingly calls it, 'a lego set built by the council', along with his grand-father and his much younger brother Rodney (Nicolas Lyndhurst) an idealistic, well-meaning young man who has sadly become rather bitter and cynical at being out of work despite having three GCEs and at the immorality and hopelessness of his older brother's frequent get rich quick ideas. Despite his cocky bravado, though, Del does seem genuinely motivated to do well in business so he can provide a better life for him and his family, always trying to stir hope up within his ranks with his frequent, but never kept, promise that 'this time next year we'll be millionaires...'
Although any night of the week I am practically guaranteed to run into an episode on UKTV Gold, having just brought series 1-7 of what is easily one of my favourite sitcoms ever in a sale for £39 (nearly a hundred quid in HMV!) has brought what made it all a success racing back to me. But then, it's a testament to how great it is that it's done so well and that, well, I can tune into an episode any night of the week.
Del is the main character here, the guy the show pretty much revolves around and it's quite clear to see why. Lyndhurst's Rodney is a vital part as Del's fall guy, and grand-dad was always a good character to have around, until Lennard Pearce's death in around 1985 had him replaced by Buster Merryfield as the livelier Uncle Albert. But Del is the guy who really keeps the boat floating, the self assured, wise cracking wide boy with his frequent catch-phrase's, including the afore-mentioned '...we'll be millionaires', as well as trying to stir up more hope by frequently using the SAS's motto 'he who dares wins' and not to mention taking his exaggerated gift of the gab a bit too far by trying to pronounce sentences in languages he doesn't know the first thing about (...'borsch sprung dung technik!!!') But he can also show his darker side with it, often trying to play on Rodney's emotions by using the memory of his dead mother to force him into helping him with his latest zany scheme, telling him 'you know what the last thing your mother said to me on her death-bed?...'
Rodney's the character it's easiest to have the most empathy with, an intelligent, conscientious young man who suffers constant embarrassment at his older brother's lack of tact and knowledge, but who somehow always finds the courage to answer him back and stand up for himself. You can sense him wasting all his passion and intelligence away due to his lack of employment history and, unfortunately, a criminal record for smoking cannabis. Both Jason and Lyndhurst sound a lot more posh and elocuted in real life, so it's harder to relate to them as true South Londoners but they play their parts so well you can put it to one side. There's a host of lively supporting character's to choose from too, including Boycie (John Challis), the second hand car salesman, constantly sneering down at what he sees as the inferior Trotters and who Del secretly probably wishes he was like, and Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack) the blank faced (and blank minded) road sweeper who can't seem to get over the fact that Rodney's name is Rodney and not Dave. He lives in a world of his own but seems to have his own weird logic to things that gets him by in life.
A product of Thatcher-esquire Britain, a time when everyone no doubt needed a good laugh and which John Sullivan delivered perfectly. It probably went on a little too long, and the cracks were definitely showing by the last episode, but the timeless overall result leaves it a classic still. *****